Grant Writing Essentials

Grant Writing Essentials is a self-paced, asynchronous course that leads higher-education professionals through the development of a complete, reviewer-ready grant proposal. Via short micro-lectures, interactive checks, and scaffolded, plug-and-play assignments, the course demystifies core concepts—RFPs/NOFOs, alignment, measurable objectives, evaluation, sustainability, and budgeting—and applies them directly to a live or hypothetical project. Emphasis is on clarity, measurable outcomes, and cross-section alignment so the final submission reads as one coherent plan.

Format & Workload

• Mode: Self-paced, asynchronous online

• Workload: Equivalent to a 3-credit course 

• Delivery: Micro-lectures, interactive comprehension checks, templates, short stepwise assignments

Intended Audience

Higher Ed. Professionals: Faculty and staff across teaching, research, student success, community engagement, libraries, centers, and academic support units—especially emerging grant writers seeking a structured, low-pressure path to a full proposal.

Prerequisites

None.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

1. Interpret an RFP/NOFO for eligibility, priorities, and scoring.

2. Produce a Need/Problem Statement that defines, describes, and documents the problem and its causes.

3. Write SMART objectives that directly address identified causes.

4. Design activities and a timeline calibrated to those objectives.

5. Articulate qualifications, capacity, and partner roles with %FTE/hours and deliverables.

6. Develop an evaluation plan (measures, instruments, frequency, use of results).

7. Draft a sustainability plan tied to institutional support, staffing, and maintenance.

8. Build an itemized budget and narrative (unit price × quantity = total) aligned to activities.

9. Synthesize a summary/executive summary that accurately reflects the full proposal.

Major Assignments (Scaffolded)

• Grant Seeker Profile (individual or organization)

• RFP Fit & Submission Plan + personal Grant Bank (3–5 prospects)

• Need/Problem Statement → SMART Objectives

• Project Description & Timeline 

• Qualifications, Capacity & Partners

• Evaluation Plan

• Sustainability Plan

• Budget & Budget Narrative (itemized)

• Summary/Executive Summary (written last for alignment)

• Master Proposal (compiled, aligned draft)

Course Requirements

• Engage with all video lessons and interactive content

• Complete comprehension checks after each topic

• Submit each short assignment and compile into the final, aligned Master Proposal draft